The longitudinal association between physical activity and insomnia symptoms among Chinese adolescents: The mediating role of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation and the moderating role of sex.
TL;DR
The findings suggest that physical activity may be relevant to adolescent insomnia symptoms partly through lower maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation, although the effect was modest and should be interpreted cautiously.
Abstract
Objectives
Adolescent insomnia symptoms are associated with a range of adverse outcomes. Physical activity and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation have been associated with insomnia symptoms, yet the longitudinal relationships among these constructs remain insufficiently understood. This study examined longitudinal associations between physical activity and insomnia symptoms across time, explored the mediating role of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation, and tested potential sex differences among Chinese adolescents.
Methods
A 3-wave longitudinal design was employed. Participants were 1988 Chinese adolescents (54.5% boys; baseline mean age = 13.79, SD = 1.18). Cross-lagged panel analyses (CLPM), random-intercept CLPM (RI-CLPM), and multi-group analyses were conducted.
Results
CLPM indicated that physical activity and insomnia symptoms showed modest reciprocal associations. In the RI-CLPM, however, only the path from physical activity to later insomnia symptoms remained significant. Maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation represented a small indirect pathway from physical activity to later insomnia symptoms, whereas the reverse mediation pathway was not supported. Some cross-lagged paths involving maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation differed by sex: physical activity at T1 predicted maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation at T2 among females but not males, whereas maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation at T2 predicted higher insomnia symptoms at T3 among males but not females. The mediation effect was not significant in either sex group.
Conclusions
This study provides longitudinal evidence linking physical activity, maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation, and insomnia symptoms. Maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation may represent a small but significant pathway from physical activity to later insomnia symptoms. These findings suggest that physical activity may be relevant to adolescent insomnia symptoms partly through lower maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation, although the effect was modest and should be interpreted cautiously.